


Stradivarius

by turquoise_ghost



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, Orchestra!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-11
Updated: 2012-09-11
Packaged: 2017-11-14 00:50:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/509570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turquoise_ghost/pseuds/turquoise_ghost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the first violinist of the orchestra John conducts pulls out of a huge performance at the last minute, he needs to find a replacement, fast. Sherlock Holmes, one of the greatest violinists the world has ever seen, just so happens to be in the right place at the right time, and agrees to step in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stradivarius

“Oh, god. Not. Happening” John Watson groaned in helpless despair and raked his fingers through his hair. 

“I’m so sorry John, I’ll, um, I’ll see what I can do!” squeaked his assistant, Molly, before turning and attempting to scurry out of the room. “Molly!” John called after her. She turned in the doorway, her expression terrified. She looked as though she was about to burst into tears, and John took pity on her. “Molly,” he said again, more gently this time. “There’s nothing you can do, darling. The show is in thirty minutes. There’s no way on earth you’ll manage to find a replacement in thirty minutes. We’ll...” John gulped, and then sighed softly, “we’ll just have to cancel”.

Molly’s eyes widened almost comically, as she realised what John was saying. “John! You can’t... cancel the show!” Just at that moment, Greg Lestrade walked past the open doorway.  
“Whose cancelling the show?” he asked, glancing backwards and forwards between Molly, who was still near tears, and John, who was sat at the dressing table with his head resting in his hands. 

“John is” said Molly quietly.

Lestrade paused for a moment, before smiling widely; “right, great, good one Johnny, you scared the crap out of me there for a second! Now move your arse, everyone’s waiting backstage for you!” John raised his head and gave Greg a long look, his eyes heavy. Greg’s heart dropped into his stomach. 

“You’re... you’re not serious?” He exclaimed, knowing full well that John was, in fact, deadly serious. “Why, goddamit? What the hell has happened? The _Queen_ is out there, John! You know, the Queen of England, Gloria Regina and all that. You can’t cancel on the _Queen_!”

John sighed again, and stood up. “Anderson has just called Molly to inform us that he is at University College Hospital” he said, quietly but clearly. “He fell down the escalator on the tube, and he has broken his wrist. He is therefore unable to play with us tonight”. 

“But... but he’s the first violinist, John!” Greg cried. John glared at him, “yes, thanks for pointing out the fucking obvious Greg!” he said angrily, his temper rising. “And now we have five thousand people sitting out there, including the bloody Queen of England, all waiting to hear Shostakovich’s violin concerto in A minor and I have no first violinist!” John was yelling by the end, and Lestrade could feel Molly trembling next to him. John stood in front of the two of them, breathing heavily after his furious outburst, before visibly deflating and shaking his head.  
“Shit, Greg I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to... it’s just... _fuck_. The fucking Queen is out there, Greg. What am I supposed to do?” 

Greg looked at John, a small smile beginning to twitch onto his lips. “we-ell” he said slowly. “It’s a hell of a long shot, but I think I know someone who _might_ be able to fill in.”  
John almost grabbed Lestrade and hugged him, he was so relieved. “Who? Who?! For god’s sake, Greg, if you’re winding me up...”

“I’m not, I swear. It’s, well. It’s Sherlock Holmes.” 

The look on John’s face actually made Lestrade take a step backwards – John looked as though he was about to run him through with his conductor’s baton. Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, John took a deep breath. “Greg.” He said tensely, “in...” he checked his watch “twenty three minutes time, we have to either stand in front of the Queen and improvise something on the spot, or tell the whole audience of the Royal Albert Hall ‘sorry folks, shows off, go home’. Now is not the time to be making jokes like that with me!” 

“No! No, John, really I’m not!” Lestrade gabbled hurriedly, “he’s an old friend from Royal College, owes me a favour and he has a flat in London, really I’m serious! I’ll give him a call, see what I can do!” And with that Lestrade turned and sprinted down the corridor to his dressing room, leaving John standing dumbstruck in the doorway.

He turned to Molly, who was leaning against the wall for support, still shaking slightly. “Did... did that just happen?” John asked her. Molly just sank down into a chair and began to take deep, calming breaths like her therapist had taught her. 

~

Sherlock Holmes’ eyes snapped open as his mobile began to vibrate violently, eventually shaking itself off the coffee table. He reached down from the sofa and snagged it with his fingers before lifting it in front of his face. _Lestrade_. He debated for approximately two seconds before answering the call. 

“Yes?” he asked tersely. “Sherlock! Oh, thank god you answered mate! I mean, shit, sorry, it’s Greg here, Greg Lestrade, look I know this is going to sound crazy but is there any way, any way at all that you could possibly come down to the Albert, kind of, well, now? Our first violinist has dropped out at the last minute and the fucking Queen’s here, Sherlock, and everything is about to get really, really shit if you can’t help us out. Would you do it?” Greg was tumbling over his words so fast that it took even Sherlock’s superior intellect a few seconds to catch up with what he was asking.

“You want me” he asked, his voice dripping with distain, “to come down to the Royal Albert Hall, _now_ , and play for the Queen?”

Lestrade gave a nervous laugh “um, yeah. I did say it was going to sound crazy. Listen, our conductor, John Watson, he’s a really great guy and he’s never conducted for an audience like this. He’s been looking forward to it for months. We’re supposed to be out there in, oh god, twenty minutes Sherlock!” Sherlock’s end of the phone was silent, and Lestrade, who was not a religious man, said a quick prayer in his head before playing his final card. “You owe me a favour, remember Sherlock?” he said quietly. 

The silence prevailed for a further few seconds, before Lestrade heard a sharp intake of breath from the other end of the phone. 

“I’ll get a taxi, be there in ten minutes”. The line went dead.

Lestrade glanced around the room to check he was alone before jumping in the air with excitement and laughing giddily in pure relief, then dashed back out of the room to go and find John.

~

“Are you actually serious?” Greg could tell that John still didn’t believe him, despite having repeated it twice already. “You’re telling me that Sherlock Holmes, _Sherlock Holmes_ , the world famous, possibly the greatest violinist since Paganini, is coming here to fill in for Anderson?”

“Yes” said Greg simply. He realised John needed a few minutes to let it sink in. John was still staring open-mouthed at Greg when a young security guard clutching a radio came up to them.  
“Excuse me Mr Lestrade sir, but there’s a man at the door who doesn’t have a backstage pass. I can’t let him in, sir, but he said he needs to speak to you?” 

Greg grinned at John. “Brace yourself Johnny” he said cheerfully, “you’re about to meet the great Sherlock Holmes”.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N – I am well aware that a proper orchestra would have at least one, if not several, understudy violinists who could step in at a moment’s notice should the need arise, but that little details spoils my fic, so I have claimed artistic licence and ignored it. 
> 
> Also, for anyone who is interested, [this is the violin concerto the orchestra are supposed to be playing](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cytn11ncIFo&feature=fvst)


End file.
